Assistant County Administrator Betsy Keller has been named interim chief administrator while a search firm, Colin Baenzinger & Associates, finds a replacement for Norwood.

The El Paso County Commissioners Court on Monday approved a separation agreement with former County Administrator Steve Norwood that includes a one-time payment of $14,977.

The amount, which represents one month's salary, was approved in exchange for Norwood to drop all legal claims against the county, officials said.

Commissioners fired Norwood on Oct. 5, citing personnel matters without further explanation. Norwood, who was the county's first chief administrator, began working for the county on Jan. 12 with an annual salary of about $191,000.

“We terminated him for cause but he, as we expected, consulted with an attorney, and in an effort to have a final settlement, we will be paying him one month of salary in exchange for him signing a settlement agreement that essentially agrees to terminate the relationship completely with no lawsuit going into the future,” County Judge Veronica Escobar said.

“It’s far less costly to settle and offer him two pay periods than it’s to engage in a battle in court,” she added.

Escobar said the settlement was a business decision — one that Commissioners Court makes whenever there is a separation of a department head.

Assistant County Administrator Betsy Keller has been named interim chief administrator while a search firm, Colin Baenzinger & Associates, finds a replacement for Norwood.

In another action on Monday, commissioners voted 4 to 1 to publish the Judicial Management Report, which allows the public to see how long it takes a court to dispose of a case, as well as the cost to clear a case and the number of cases that are outstanding on a docket.

Escobar said she expects the report to be available online by the end of the week.

The report will be published despite concerns from the Council of Judges, who argue that the report is flawed and misleading. The Council of Judges, which represents all district and county judges, is currently working on its own report.

To explain some of the information, the judicial report will clarify some of the data with footnotes and asterisks.

Also on Monday, Commissioners Court approved six-month and yearly parking passes at Ascarate Park. A yearly pass will cost $15 for seniors and $30 for everybody else, and a six-month pass will cost $10 for seniors and $20 for all other drivers. The pass will not be valid two hours before or during a special event at the park.

Currently, the county charges an entrance fee of $2 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and $5 during holidays and special events.

Aileen B. Flores may be reached at 546-6362. aflores@elpasotimes.com. @AileenBFlores on Twitter.